While summiting a trail, each labored step yields a different perspective, a different angle on the land before you. It’s nature’s gritty lesson in trigonometry pushed by the beat of an inspired heart, and through the eyes of an artist, it becomes a story.

Leah Parsons tells those stories.

“Photography makes me see the world differently,” she said. “It makes me consider the different ways I can view things, and because everyone’s going to see things differently, I like capturing and sharing what I see.”

Armed with her camera and surrounded by Pacific Northwest mountains, she and her husband trek into nature in search of the untouched, the feral.

“Some of these hikes are intense, and you’re really going for the view,” she said. “It’s really rewarding to get to the top and see these places and realize you’re so small in comparison.”

Leah’s draw to nature is perhaps universal. She – and her photos – tap into a human drive to the pastoral, and through her photos, she shares her feelings from the top of a trail with people thousands of miles away.

But it’s not just about reveling in the vastness of a mountain or the pristine state of a field. Leah’s beautiful, natural photos are an effort to move past the artifice of today’s highly filtered, highly curated personas spurred by our digitized lives.

“I like the real, the raw, the normal people who have struggles,” Leah said. “There’s so much beauty out there without having to be fake about things. I’m interested in the real, the raw. I’d rather be capturing people and life as it is.”

Leah began pursuing photography two years ago, though she’s long been interested in art. Her mother was a photographer and her siblings are equally artistic. Her husband is also a photographer, and their photography focused backpacking trips help them grow as a couple, she said.

“I’d encourage anyone to follow their creativity,” Leah said. “You don’t have to be doing something exciting to take a great photo. There’s always something to capture – and if it turns out like crap, that’s fine, as long as you’re trying.”

Follow Leah on Instagram at @leahray_parsons.